NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Connecticut baseball team dropped its weekend opener with No. 28 Notre Dame, ranked in the NCBWA Top-30, 12-2, on Friday afternoon. The Huskies slipped to 25-17 overall and evened out at 8-8 in the BIG EAST, while the Fighting Irish improved to 24-16 and 5-8.

Sophomore righty Pat Connaughton (2-2) earned the win for ND in 5.1 innings of work. He scattered five hits and surrendered just two early runs, while striking out four and walking three. For UConn, redshirt-sophomore righty Carson Cross (Brentwood, N.H.) lost his second straight start and is now 6-3 on the season. He was tagged for seven runs on nine hits in a career-low 2.2-inning start.

Connecticut took a brief 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a base hit through the right side by senior second baseman LJ Mazzilli (Greenwich, Conn.) to score junior shortstop Tom Verdi (Warwick, R.I.), who led off with a double down the left field line.

The Irish answered with three runs on four hits and left the bases loaded in the bottom half to take the lead and never relinquish it.

Junior first baseman Trey Mancini went 4-for-4 with two runs and two RBI out of the clean-up spot and sophomore left fielder Mac Hudgins went 3-for-5 with three runs and two RBI.

For the Huskies, Mazzilli went 3-for-3 to record half of the team’s six hits.